Silane is employed in the production of polysilicon, which in turn is used in the manufacture of monocrystalline silicon for use in semiconductor devices.
Alkoxyaluminum hydrides are known to be useful as reducing agents in a variety of chemical reactions. See for example: Belgium 615,566 (1962); U.K. 938,043 (1963); U.K. 938,044 (1963); U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,443 (1966); Cooke et al, J. Org. Chem., 1968, 33, 1132-6; U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,870 (1970); Zajac, Jr., et al, J. Org. Chem., 1973, 38, 384-7.
Alkoxyaluminum hydrides have generally been produced in the past by reacting alcohols or aluminum alkoxides with alane in ethereal reaction media. In many cases the alkoxyaluminum hydride product forms a stable complex with the ether and thus is not formed in free (i.e., uncomplexed) form.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,816 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,668 describe processes for co-producing silane with certain useful co-products.